Questões de Inglês

I was puzzled as to why Patrick Kingsley’s compassionate article exploring the reasons thousands of refugees are fleeing Eritrea for Europe chose to argue that the country is not at war. Of course it is. There is a big difference between a failed and frozen peace process and the resolution of an armed conflict. The longstanding border conflict with Ethiopia cannot justify the well‐documented human rights abuses committed by President Isaias Afwerki’s government, but it is more of a driving cause of this crisis than holes in a British fence. The two states are locked in a costly border war, and their citizens are suffering the consequences. Powerful governments such as the US and the UK appear to have given up on finding a negotiated solution. Even the UN security council seems unable to uphold its own decisions on the boundary dispute calling for Ethiopian withdrawal. We neglect the agendas of conflict resolution and human rights at our peril. The UK, EU and the UN should renew their full spectrum of diplomatic efforts to help Ethiopia and Eritrea resolve their border war. It remains the engine room of so much human suffering and arrested development. The resolution of these multiple problems cannot be found in policies of coercion and isolation alone. To help prevent the deaths of future asylum seekers, we need to commit to the long‐term, multilateral and difficult paths of engagement and dialogue.

 

(Andy Carl. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/04/. Adapted.)

“At our peril” (line 08) brings out a/an

Mark the sequence which completes the respective blanks in the text.

 

“In spite of its reputation for efficiency, rules oppress German society. There are laws telling you when to cut your grass and regulations on when and how to sweep stairs, basements, and sidewalks. Whenever you move in Germany, you must notify __________ residents’ registration office. You must also register your TV, __________ you can be fined after a surprise inspection. __________ advanced countries make ordinary tasks of life __________ inefficient though. An application for a new passport takes almost two months. Germans argue that such restrictions make you think before you do. The theory is that if you budget __________ time, you are automatically more efficient.”

The Walking Dead

 

The return of AMC’s undead megahit is further proof that The Walking Dead is one of the best things on telly. It’s exciting, superbly acted, well written, and it’s as good as it’s ever been, if not better. But watching has started to feel like a peculiarly predictable form of masochism, like plunging your face into a thicket of nettles once a week because occasionally you like the smell. The Walking Dead has been back for one episode – and I’m already completely depressed. 

  Back in October I watched the opening episode of series five with my mouth agape in awe, half‐chewed popcorn disgustingly presented to the world, and thinking: “This is one of the best episodes I’ve ever seen. Ever.” Rick and the survivors languished in the long pig gulag of Terminus, furiously gearing themselves up for what promised to be the almighty dust‐up of almighty dust‐ups. Their fellow detainees were slaughtered in front of them, their killer slitting their throats over a trough, working his way down the line of kneeling prisoners. It was terrifying.

  After this, the series inevitably simmered down. The show hardly relaxed into jam sandwiches, knock‐knock jokes and daisy chains, but episodes came and went, and they were fine. There was some walking and talking in the woods, some time in a church with a priest who’d done a bad thing, and some people in a hospital who turned out to be unpleasant. A couple of members of the group died. And then, by the end of the first half of the series, The Walking Dead – the show that only a few episodes ago had been the greatest thing since the invention of the flushing latrine – felt a bit boring.

  It seemed tired and predictable: of course the priest had done a bad thing, because this is The Walking Dead. Of course some members of the group died, because ditto. And of course the people in the hospital were deplorable, because, in the world of The Walking Dead, anyone who isn’t under the stewardship of Rick Grimes is 110% likely to be an evil, sadistic bastard. They never meet anyone nice. It’s exhausting. The Walking Dead doesn’t surprise you. It just continues.

  The graphic novels on which the show is based are still being written, and I wonder if this is The Walking Dead’s problem – the interminability of it. Of course, I’m going to keep watching the new season, and of course I’m going to be sucked right back in. But investing in the show again is like joining a gym – I’ll be knowingly committing to a harrowing relationship of perennial grimness.

 

(Available: http://www.theguardian.com/tv‐and‐radio/2015/feb/10. Adapted.)

The text aims at constructing a/an

Can acupuncture treat depression?

 

The alternative practice may be able to replace medication or alleviate its side effects

Tori Rodriguez

June 12, 2014

 

A growing number of people are seeking alternatives to

antidepressant medications, and new research suggests that

acupuncture could be a promising option. One new study

found the traditional Chinese practice to be as effective as

antidepressants, and a different study found that acupuncture

may help treat the medications’ side effects.

In acupuncture, a practitioner inserts needles into the

skin at points of the body thought to correspond with specific

organs. Western medicine suggests the needles may activate

natural painkillers in the brain; in traditional Chinese medicine,

the process is believed to improve functioning by correcting

energy blocks or imbalances in the organs.

A study published last fall in the Journal of Alternative

and Complementary Medicine found that electroacupuncture

– in which a mild electric current is transmitted through the

needles – was just as effective as fluoxetine (the generic

name of Prozac) in reducing symptoms of depression. For

six weeks, patients underwent either electroacupuncture

five times weekly or a standard daily dose of fluoxetine. The

researchers, the majority of whom specialize in traditional

Chinese medicine, assessed participants’ symptoms every

two weeks and tracked their levels of glial cell line-derived

neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a neuroprotective protein.

Previous studies have found lower amounts of GDNF among

patients with major depressive disorder, and in another

research, levels of the protein rose after treatment with

antidepressant medication.

After six weeks, both groups showed a similar improvement

in symptoms, and both treatments restored GDNF to a normal

concentration. But the acupuncture began to work faster,

reducing symptoms more dramatically at weeks two and four

than the drug did. Among the patients who got better, a higher

percentage of the acupuncture recipients showed “great

improvement.”

Another study suggests that acupuncture may help with

one particularly difficult aspect of depression treatment:

the sexual side effects of some medications. Twelve weeks

of acupuncture helped both men and women with several

aspects of sexual functioning, according to the work, also

in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

These findings add to a growing body of research suggesting

acupuncture may be useful for a variety of ailments, including

chronic pain, anxiety and nausea.

 

(www.scientificamerican.com. Adaptado.)

According to information presented in the last paragraph,

Can acupuncture treat depression?

 

The alternative practice may be able to replace medication or alleviate its side effects

Tori Rodriguez

June 12, 2014

 

A growing number of people are seeking alternatives to

antidepressant medications, and new research suggests that

acupuncture could be a promising option. One new study

found the traditional Chinese practice to be as effective as

antidepressants, and a different study found that acupuncture

may help treat the medications’ side effects.

In acupuncture, a practitioner inserts needles into the

skin at points of the body thought to correspond with specific

organs. Western medicine suggests the needles may activate

natural painkillers in the brain; in traditional Chinese medicine,

the process is believed to improve functioning by correcting

energy blocks or imbalances in the organs.

A study published last fall in the Journal of Alternative

and Complementary Medicine found that electroacupuncture

– in which a mild electric current is transmitted through the

needles – was just as effective as fluoxetine (the generic

name of Prozac) in reducing symptoms of depression. For

six weeks, patients underwent either electroacupuncture

five times weekly or a standard daily dose of fluoxetine. The

researchers, the majority of whom specialize in traditional

Chinese medicine, assessed participants’ symptoms every

two weeks and tracked their levels of glial cell line-derived

neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a neuroprotective protein.

Previous studies have found lower amounts of GDNF among

patients with major depressive disorder, and in another

research, levels of the protein rose after treatment with

antidepressant medication.

After six weeks, both groups showed a similar improvement

in symptoms, and both treatments restored GDNF to a normal

concentration. But the acupuncture began to work faster,

reducing symptoms more dramatically at weeks two and four

than the drug did. Among the patients who got better, a higher

percentage of the acupuncture recipients showed “great

improvement.”

Another study suggests that acupuncture may help with

one particularly difficult aspect of depression treatment:

the sexual side effects of some medications. Twelve weeks

of acupuncture helped both men and women with several

aspects of sexual functioning, according to the work, also

in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

These findings add to a growing body of research suggesting

acupuncture may be useful for a variety of ailments, including

chronic pain, anxiety and nausea.

 

(www.scientificamerican.com. Adaptado.)

Segundo as informações do terceiro e quarto parágrafos, a pesquisa publicada no Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine concluiu que

Can acupuncture treat depression?

 

The alternative practice may be able to replace medication or alleviate its side effects

Tori Rodriguez

June 12, 2014

 

A growing number of people are seeking alternatives to

antidepressant medications, and new research suggests that

acupuncture could be a promising option. One new study

found the traditional Chinese practice to be as effective as

antidepressants, and a different study found that acupuncture

may help treat the medications’ side effects.

In acupuncture, a practitioner inserts needles into the

skin at points of the body thought to correspond with specific

organs. Western medicine suggests the needles may activate

natural painkillers in the brain; in traditional Chinese medicine,

the process is believed to improve functioning by correcting

energy blocks or imbalances in the organs.

A study published last fall in the Journal of Alternative

and Complementary Medicine found that electroacupuncture

– in which a mild electric current is transmitted through the

needles – was just as effective as fluoxetine (the generic

name of Prozac) in reducing symptoms of depression. For

six weeks, patients underwent either electroacupuncture

five times weekly or a standard daily dose of fluoxetine. The

researchers, the majority of whom specialize in traditional

Chinese medicine, assessed participants’ symptoms every

two weeks and tracked their levels of glial cell line-derived

neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a neuroprotective protein.

Previous studies have found lower amounts of GDNF among

patients with major depressive disorder, and in another

research, levels of the protein rose after treatment with

antidepressant medication.

After six weeks, both groups showed a similar improvement

in symptoms, and both treatments restored GDNF to a normal

concentration. But the acupuncture began to work faster,

reducing symptoms more dramatically at weeks two and four

than the drug did. Among the patients who got better, a higher

percentage of the acupuncture recipients showed “great

improvement.”

Another study suggests that acupuncture may help with

one particularly difficult aspect of depression treatment:

the sexual side effects of some medications. Twelve weeks

of acupuncture helped both men and women with several

aspects of sexual functioning, according to the work, also

in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

These findings add to a growing body of research suggesting

acupuncture may be useful for a variety of ailments, including

chronic pain, anxiety and nausea.

 

(www.scientificamerican.com. Adaptado.)

Conforme o segundo parágrafo, de acordo com a medicina ocidental,